Sculpture and Ceramics
Artist’s Statement
My work is focused on human facial features and the relationship with their symbolic meaning. In particular, human eyes are prominent in a lot of my work including both 2D and 3D forms. Eyes can have many different symbolic meanings behind them which I love to play around with a number of these.
Eyes can be a symbol of protection, clarity, intimacy and vulnerability. Evil eyes are often worn to ward off judgement from others. I explored this concept in ‘Don’t look at me’, which can be seen below. Clarity and focus is also associated with eye symbols as eyes are how we see things clearly not only everything that’s in front of us but also things we cannot see like our thoughts and emotions. Clarity is the focus for the eyes displayed in ‘There’s nothing to worry about’ which can also be seen below. Lastly, I believe eyes can reveal feelings of both intimacy and vulnerability through eye contact. Opia describes the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable. This intense vulnerability is what really drives me to keep using eye symbols in my work as I believe this opia concept allows viewers to relate to my work on a higher level.
Sculpture
Module One: Crazy Creature
‘Elma Emu’
Meg West
‘Elma Emu’ is a soft sculpture made with fabric scraps to create a patchwork design. The primary feature of this piece are the large eyes that are an abstract version of human eyes. This was made using florists wire covered with white cotton material and embroidered with black thread. These eyes are a focal point as they are contrasted with the darker body of the emu. This work was difficult for me to design as first as I really struggled with creating patterns and turning an idea on paper into a 3D work. Overall, I loved the challenge this gave me and I feel it allowed me to grow as an emerging artist in a way I didn’t know I could.
Module 2: Wearable Sculpture
‘Look out the window’
Meg West
This piece was inspired by Alisa Gorshenina’s wearable sculptures which were exhibited in 2018 for her ‘Ural Skin’ exhibition at VDNKH. ‘Look out the window’ is made of two different white mesh materials which allows the wearer to see through it. I sewed these two together by hand using loom thread to make all the stitches. The embroidery also used loom thread as I wanted the piece to be colourful and I think this created a great contrast on the white material. I found it challenging embroidering the entire scene by hand as it was very time consuming and there was a learning curve to begin with. This piece is titled ‘Looking through the window’ because I love creating a story or confusing viewers with the title of my work. ‘Looking through the window’ details what the wearer is looking at through the window and perhaps the embroidered scene is reflected onto their face for viewers to see. Overall I did like the challenge this piece gave me and I think I learned some valuable techniques for future projects.
Module 3: Tailsman
‘Don’t look at me’
Meg West
‘Don’t look at me’ is a sculptural work incorporating hanging evil eyes made of wooden slices. I used acrylic paint pens to paint the eyes onto the wooden slices and used eyelet screw bits to hang them from the ceiling. Below the eyes are various beads that add colour and a new texture to the piece. Evil eyes are generally used to protect the wearer from an evil gaze or judgement from others. I chose to use eyes in this piece as they are a symbol of protection, as talisman objects suggest. I named this piece ‘Don’t look at me’ firstly, because it suits the meaning of the evil eye symbol. I thought the phrase ‘Don’t look at me’ would be an interesting way of asking viewers to not look at the piece despite the fact that there are 20 eyes staring back at them. How could you not look at it? This also introduces another idea of not allowing judgement from others to intrude on your thoughts. Overall I loved piecing this work together and developing the concepts behind it.
Ceramics
Module 1: Hand building
Small Bowls
Meg West
These small bowls are handmade from white raku clay and glazed with yellow and pink. My vision for these bowls was not to make them all the same shape or size. The only similarities are the colours used for glazing and their smooth texture. I really love the look of these bowls individually and as a group, I feel that they compliment each other despite none of them being the same shape. I enjoyed learning the process for these small bowls and I have found a real interest in creating ceramic forms.
Small Cups
Meg West
These small cups are handmade from paper clay which is much finer clay than the white raku. I found working with this clay much easier to get those smooth surfaces. The five cups I made are each different sizes and for the most part the same shape. I enjoyed adding the handles and learning about attaching pieces of clay to another. For these cups I decided to add a signature feature to each cup, which was the eye etched out on the base of the cup. I thought this would add some character to the cups and a touch of my own style. If I were to make a series of cups again I would make them larger as I learned that they shrink quite a bit in the firing process. I would also have let them dry for a day or so before adding the eye etching in the centre as this would have been a little easier with dryer clay.
Module 2: Function and Ritual
Functional Jug
Meg West
This piece was made using a rolled slab technique to create the main body of the jug. Once this slab was connected into a tube shape, the spout was made by stretching and pulling the clay. Then finally the base and the handle was attached using slip. I decided to paint a simple eye design onto the jug with under glaze, then used over glaze on the inside of the jug to make it a functional piece. I really enjoyed crafting and glazing this jug and wish I had more time to make more intricate designs.
Disrupted Jug
Meg West
The disrupted jug was made using the same technique as the functional jug, however there was no base added. I liked the idea of making this disrupted jug look functional by making it look the same as the functional jug but simply leaving the base empty. This way there would be no way of knowing it was not functional unless you picked it up or started pouring water into it. I decided to paint this piece with acrylic paint pens as I wanted to create a more detailed, abstract illustration that is similar to my previous paintings. I think this also ties in well with my wearable sculpture ‘Look out the window’ as they encompass similar details.
Module 3: Ritual Item
‘Selma’
Meg West
‘Selma’ is a ritual item that symbolises the Norwegian language which I practice every day. I enjoy this practice as it reminds me of my friend Selma and it makes me feel more connected to her although we are very far apart at the moment. I am learning this language because I plan on visiting Norway in a couple year time. This might not be the most technical or symbolic piece but Norway holds a special place in my heart I never knew I would have before meeting Selma.
Sculpture and Ceramics
Module 4: Hybrid Piece
‘There’s nothing to worry about’
Meg West
This piece ‘There’s nothing to worry about’ is a mixed media sculpture which uses ceramics and wool. The wool in this piece represents everything that might be going on in ones life, these might be problems someone is experiencing in the moment. These problems are intertwined and tangled as they create an overwhelming experience when focusing on everything all at once. The eyes represent clarity and promote focusing on one piece at a time rather than overwhelming yourself by trying to work through everything at the same time. I titled this piece ‘There’s nothing to worry about’ because clearly there are things to worry about, but this might be the voice inside telling you there’s nothing to worry about just to calm you down.